A Theology of Holiness: Historical, Exegetical, and Philosophical Perspectives

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The idea of “holiness” is central to religion, but it is also one of the hardest concepts to define. In Judaism, the word kodesh, the Hebrew word for “holy,” appears hundreds of times throughout Tanakh and the Talmud. It also appears in ancient Near Eastern contexts, throughout rabbinic literature, and is used throughout the Middle Ages and into modern times.

Is “holiness” a synonym for Godliness, one of God’s attributes, or does it have independent existence? What does it mean to say that both God and man are holy? What is the proper understanding of “Be holy, because I the Lord your God am holy”?

This work traces how the idea of holiness has been applied throughout the ages. It is a work that utilizes historical, exegetical, linguistic, literary, anthropological, and philosophical tools in an interdisciplinary analysis. Ultimately, it is a work of theology, and helps the reader achieve a deeper understanding of holiness—arguably the most important religious term of them all­.

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Surely you have been wondering about these words and concepts for years, since they are such an integral part of our religion. (The root appears about 900 times in Tanach!) Fortunately, someone has just authored a book with everything you need to know on this topic! The author is Alec Goldstein. The title: “A Theology […]